When it comes to choosing the right leather case for your iPhone, the market can be quite congested at times, making it a difficult choice in terms of what brand to go with. After all, you really don’t want to compromise on quality or features, but at the same time, you probably also don’t want to break the bank.

A great option to go with is that of the Nomad Horween leather collection. These cases are made to look and feel fancy, all while keeping your iPhone nice and protected from everyday life. In this review, we’ll be talking all about it and its many color options to pick from.

We just showed you the Twelve South RelaxedLeather case lineup for iPhone last week, which boasted an impressive color lineup and offered a comfortable feeling in the hand. While tough to beat, Nomad’s Horween leather case is a top contender, having both a similar price range and an equally as impressive feeling in your hand, so we’ll be showing you the iPhone 7 Plus version in this review.

A closer look

Nomad’s Horween leather cases come in fewer color options, but to make up for that Nomad has partnered up with Horween, a brand name leather company from the United States, to make their luxurious cases. This leather will both age and wear-in over time, giving it that fancy used patina look with use.

The three colors you see in the image above, from front to back, are blue, tan, gray.

It’s a bit difficult to see the difference between the blue and the gray, and that’s partially because of the lighting, but mostly because of the fact that the colors are brought out more over time, as the leather wears in.

The inside of the case is lined with a comfortable suede-like layer that helps cradle your iPhone, which is perfect for keeping your finish looking like new, both when you put your case on, and when you take it off, even years down the road. This is particularly important for that new Jet Black finish, which is prone to micro-abrasions.

Also noteworthy, to anyone who like plain Jane stuff without logos imprinted all over everything, Nomad spared no expense to make their case look as minimalist as possible. The case has absolutely no brand markings anywhere on the exterior, as the only placement of the Nomad logo is on the inside, stamped in the suede-style finish.

One thing I will say right off the bat is Nomad’s case is nice and rigid. It has a very solid feel in your hand, just like any typical snap-on case would. Of course, that leather exterior makes it grippy to prevent you from accidentally dropping your phone, which is common on glossier cases.

Accessibility and protection

So now come the important close-ups that show how the case is in terms of accessibility and protection. And like most snap-on style cases, it’s a fairly simplistic case with good accessibility, as you’ll soon see.

Starting with a look at the bottom, we can see that Nomad went with a highly protective bottom, which means each of the grilles, even though one is just there for aesthetics, are covered and can peek through with a small cut-out that is precisely machined to fit perfectly.

The Lightning port is pretty widely accessible, making this case compatible with a wide variety of third-party docking stations, such as the Twelve South HiRise 2, which I love personally, as well as Lightning cables with wider-than-normal grips.

You’ll also find that like on many other leather cases, the volume up/down buttons and the power button are covered. In this case, it’s a layer of leather that covers the buttons. Despite being covered, they are just as tactile as they are without a case, and you can still make out that pleasing tactile ‘click’ when buttons are pressed.

The ringer/silent switch, on the other hand, is accessible through a small slot that is cut into the case. The slot is a bit wider than some of the competition, making it easy to access with either a finger or a finger nail.

Also while looking at the front, you’ll find that the case is slightly raised over the surface of the iPhone to prevent it from coming in contact with any table top when placed face-down.

On the back, we can see a typical cut-out for the rear-facing camera. It’s large enough not to hinder your photographs, and more importantly, it provides access to the flash and rear microphone to ensure your media comes out as clear as can be. A standard black ring around the cut-out also works to cut glare whenever the flash goes off.

Synopsis

It goes without saying that I think Nomad’s leather case is a beautiful and high-quality masterpiece, especially for those who are fans of leather products. I have very little bad to say about it, as the case could easily be used for a daily driver for most people.

Here’s a short list of pros and cons for the TL;DR people out there:

Pros:

Lightweight and doesn’t add much bulk to your iPhone

Horween-brand leather looks good out of the box and ages with a patina

Accessibility to Lightning port and ringer/silent switch is superb

Rigid shell is protective and provides a tight fit

Screen lip lets you safely place your iPhone face-down on tables

Soft interior keeps your iPhone finish safe over time

Different colors to pick from

Cons:

Fewer color choices than some of the competition

No credit card pockets, which are a common feature for leather cases

Nomad’s leather case is fairly priced at $40 on Nomad’s website, for either the iPhone 7 Plus or iPhone 7 (the cost is the same for each).